Glamorous Travel welcomes Chinese tourists

A tour operator has launched in Manchester specialising in providing tailor-made packages for Chinese people visiting Britain and Europe. Glamorous Travel was set up by 35-year-old Yan Zhang early this year to provide Chinese tourists with holidays designed around their sporting interests orbusiness pursuits or to give them a cultural experience.

A tour operator has launched in Manchester specialising in providing tailor-made packages for Chinese people visiting Britain and Europe.

Glamorous Travel was set up by 35-year-old Yan Zhang early this year to provide Chinese tourists with holidays designed around their sporting interests orbusiness pursuits or to give them a cultural experience.

Yan, left, who is involved in the Wai Yin Chinese Women Society, said she wanted to show the best of what the UK and Europe has to offer.

She said: “We are aiming our tours at wealthy Chinese people who don’t see a holiday as a place to just go and relax, they see it as a place where they want to learn about the culture, the history and meet local people, and many often want to see if they can invest in a business or forge links with an organisation, which is where we can also help.”

Yan, who was born in Sichuan, China, came to the UK in 1999 to study at Leeds University where she completed a degree in Asia-Pacific studies and politics. She came to Manchester in 2005 to work for the city council as a diversity and equalities officer.

In 2009, Yan took a six-month career break and went back to China to look at opportunities to set up her own business.

“I wanted to do something different,” she said.

“When I went back to China, I saw how the economy was growing with a rising number of wealthy people who wanted to explore the UK and Europe.

“I had some experience in travel before I came to the UK, because I helped a friend set up a travel business.

“I have a good knowledge of the Chinese culture and what people want, and now have a good understanding of what the UK has to offer in terms of its holiday destinations. Combining the two, I decided I wanted to open a travel business instead of going back to my job.”

Yan has an office in Chorlton Street and, thanks to a £100,000 investment from the North West Fund for Venture Capital, managed by Enterprise Ventures, she hopes to develop her business.

Yan, who manages the company with four staff, said: “I am confident that Chinese inbound tourism is going to grow. All our tours are unique and our team consists of multilingual travel consultants.

“We will be able to arrange people’s visas and even give them cultural awareness training so they will have a better understanding of the country they will visit.

“We’ve had enquiries about Manchester as well with Manchester United Football Stadium as the number one place to visit. Our golf tours are also popular,.”